Climatic variability during the last interglacial inferred from geochemical proxies in the Lake El'gygytgyn sediment record

Cunningham, Laura; Vogel, Hendrik; Nowaczyk, Norbert; Wennrich, Volker; Juschus, Olaf; Persson, Per; Rosén, Peter (2013). Climatic variability during the last interglacial inferred from geochemical proxies in the Lake El'gygytgyn sediment record. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 386, pp. 408-414. Elsevier 10.1016/j.palaeo.2013.06.009

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The Last Interglacial Period (LIP) is often regarded as a good analogue for potential climatic conditions under predicted global warming scenarios. Despite this, there is still debate over the nature, duration and frequency
of climatic changes during this period. One particularly contentious issue has been the apparent evidence of climatic instability identified in many marine cores but seemingly lacking from many terrestrial archives, especially
within the Arctic, a key region for global climate change research. In this paper, geochemical records from Lake El'gygytgyn, north-eastern Russia, are used to infer past climatic changes during the LIP from within
the high Arctic. With a sampling resolution of ~20–~90 years, these records offer the potential for detailed, high-resolution palaeoclimate reconstruction. This study shows that the LIP commenced in central Chukotka
~129 thousand years ago (ka), with the warmest climatic conditions occurring between ~128 and 127 ka before being interrupted by a short-lived cold reversal. Mild climatic conditions then persisted until ~122 ka
when a marked reduction in the sedimentation rate suggests a decrease in precipitation. A further climatic deterioration at ~118 ka marks the return to glacial conditions. This study highlights the value of incorporating
several geochemical proxies when inferring past climatic conditions, thus providing the potential to identify signals related to environmental change within the catchment. We also demonstrate the importance of
considering how changes in sedimentation rate influence proxy records, in order to develop robust palaeoenvironmental reconstructions.

Item Type:	Journal Article (Original Article)
Division/Institute:	08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geological Sciences 10 Strategic Research Centers > Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research (OCCR) 08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geological Sciences > Quaternary Geology
UniBE Contributor:	Vogel, Hendrik
Subjects:	500 Science > 550 Earth sciences & geology
ISSN:	0031-0182
Publisher:	Elsevier
Language:	English
Submitter:	Hendrik Vogel
Date Deposited:	19 Jun 2014 09:24
Last Modified:	05 Dec 2022 14:30
Publisher DOI:	10.1016/j.palaeo.2013.06.009
URI:	https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/45272